


All In a Day's Work

by queenmagnus



Series: Lin Beifong is the Worst Patient [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, Whump, chapter 8 has mentions of non-con/rape, kyalin starting in chapter 12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28618125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenmagnus/pseuds/queenmagnus
Summary: Lin Beifong is the worst patient.Some of Lin's injuries through the years told from the POV of one of Republic City's lead healersGenerally follows along with canon (including relationships) but once we get to the Lin we see in the show I took some liberties in filling in the blanks. Kyalin content starts in chapter 12
Series: Lin Beifong is the Worst Patient [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097027
Comments: 29
Kudos: 75





	1. The Aftermath - 50

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a bit of a different fic from me. This part is told from the POV of a healer at a hospital in Republic City. Specifically it documents her dealings with one, Lin Beifong. Each chapter is a stand alone oneshot. I’m still writing this one but I have the current parts planned out and since each chapter is a oneshot I won’t feel bad if for some reason it goes unfinished.
> 
> Now the fun part! This is only part of this fic. I plan on writing a companion piece for each one of these situations that tells the full story of what happened before the healer got involved. 
> 
> One chapter may have sensitive subject matter but I am not sure I actually want to write it and if I do I will add major warnings.
> 
> It generally keeps in line with canon timeline and I’ll list Lin’s age for each chapter.
> 
> I don’t have much for young Lin because I feel like Katara would have been in charge of any healing she may have needed. There are a couple though ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoy as I rough up my favorite character a little bit!
> 
> I have Sora listed as being about 12 years older than Lin

Healer Sora Yueng had seen a lot in her many years as a healer for Republic City’s largest and busiest hospital. She had trained under arguably the greatest healer in the world and now was a well-respected mentor herself. Tonight was pretty average, not too busy nor quiet. Another new intern had started training under her and they spent the better part of the last hour removing small shards of glass from a poor woman who had fallen through a glass door.

Now, the healer was taking a break while she had the intern manning the new intake desk. Sora downed the rest of her tea, overhearing a conversation her intern was having with a new patient. She instantly recognized the voice and cursed the spirits for not giving her just one nice, calm and normal evening.

“I’m fine. It’s just my arm.”

The voice hitched as it sucked in a breath of obvious pain. Sora rolled her eyes as she started making her way to the front desk.

“Maybe a cracked rib.”

“Don’t forget whiplash.”

The new voice was also familiar to the healer but she was surprised. It had been quite some time since she had heard the two together.

“Shut it, Tenzin. Why are you even still here? Just get a healer over here and then I can leave.”

There’s her cue. Sora plastered a falsely sweet smile on her face as she rounded the corner to see one of her favorite patients; Republic City Police Chief Lin Beifong. The woman’s face contorted as she groaned.

“ _Of course_ you’re working tonight. I’m fine.”

 _I’m fine_ was the usual story and often meant that she was anything but. Sora couldn’t help a small chuckle as she saw Master Tenzin subtlety shaking his head at her over the Chief’s shoulder.

“On the off chance that you’re _not_ completely fine why don’t you come on back and I’ll check you over?”

Lin grumbled something and Sora just smiled to herself. Getting Lin Beifong to submit to any kind of medical attention was a fine art and she was satisfied that she hadn’t lost her touch in said art.

“You can go home if you want, Master Tenzin. I assure you she’s in good hands.”

A look flashed across the airbender’s face.

“Or… you can wait down the hall unt-“

“Go home, airhead. I’ll be fine. And I’m sure your wife is worried about you.”

The healer couldn’t help but notice that the earthbender was making great efforts to avoid making eye contact with him. Apparently their relationship was still complicated after all these years. He really should be at home with his family. She had witnessed enough of the pair’s lives to feel a bit protective of Lin. Especially with that look he was giving her.

“Chief, the usual room is open if you want to head in.”

Without a word she turned and walked around the corner. Tenzin watched her as she left and Sora stepped directly into his line of vision.

“You should probably leave now, Master Tenzin.”

He looked at her and blinked rapidly as if coming out of a daze. He looked down, his cheeks reddening. He mumbled some sort of departing well wish before quickly making his retreat. Sora let out a sigh as she turned to her intern.

“I’ve got to take care of this one alone, hold down the fort while I’m in there.”

He nodded to her. There was a look of curiosity in his eyes that made her sigh again as she walked away. It was the look they always had when the Police Chief ended up there. She’d deal with his inevitable questions later.

* * *

Yosuke had been training under Master Healer Sora for about 3 weeks and tonight was easily the most exciting night so far. Seeing the son of the former Avatar and the Chief of Police was like seeing a couple of real life celebrities. He was immensely disappointed when his mentor had told he would be sitting out on the healing session with the Chief.

It was about an hour before he caught up with his teacher again. It was the middle of the night now and she looked exhausted. He was pretty tired himself but his excitement and curiosity about their current patient was enough to keep him wide awake.

“How is Chief Beifong? Was she hurt too badly?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, sitting down in a chair. After a moment she opened her eyes again and handed him a file.

“She’s lucky her broken ribs didn’t puncture a lung. _Again_.”

Her tone was exasperated but his eyes widened. A punctured lung was a very serious injury and the Chief of Police had survived one in the past. She obviously picked up on his expression and shook her head, waving a hand.

“Just go put this file away. And then I think we both need to get some sleep.”

He didn’t need telling twice, practically running down the hall to the room where they kept patient records. The records room wasn’t exactly _organized_. In fact, it had taken him several days to get used to the filing system. Some healers filed patients by just their first name since that was the only name many of their patients had. Others filed by last name first, when a last name was available. It wasn’t uniform and it took him a long time to figure out that he needed to stop trying to make sense of it and just check both places in the alphabet.

He quickly went to where the “B”s were stored and was excited when he quickly found the name Beifong. “Beifong, Lin” was first and his eyes widened again at how big the file was. He also caught a glimpse of an even larger file directly after, labeled “Beifong, Toph”. He felt goosebumps prickle his skin. He sometimes forgot that the legendary benders he heard about growing up were actual, real life people.

He pulled the current Chief Beifong’s folder out and opened it to put the newest file in it. He knew he shouldn’t but curiosity finally got the best of him and Yosuke flipped through some of the older files. He only picked up quick words and notes scribbled in the familiar handwriting of Sora.

_Mild concussion… fractured ribs… broken ribs… significant and inevitable scarring… rare form of poison…_

The poison one immediately piqued his interest and he pulled the file to read more.

_“Chief Beifong was brought in, unconscious, by Master Tenzin with textbook symptoms of poison from-“_

His reading was cut off by someone clearing their throat loudly. Yosuke turned around quickly to see Sora standing in the doorway with a knowing and somewhat amused look on her face. His face reddened as he closed the file and put it back in the folder. He quietly put it back in place and closed the drawer.

“Sorry, Sifu. I was just cur-“

“-ious. Yes. I gathered as much. Learn anything interesting?”

“That I do not want to get on Chief Beifong’s bad side.”

Sora laughed at that.

“You’ve got no idea, kid.”

She started to say something else but they were interrupted by another healer running up to her, out of breath.

“Sorry to interrupt, Master Sora. But Chief Beifong isn’t in her room.”

Yosuke looked away, trying to hide a smile as his mentor cursed loudly. She let out a frustrated groan before walking quickly back towards the patient rooms. He quickly followed after catching bits of the healer’s grumbling.

“That stubborn idiot!”

They came to an abrupt halt outside her office door. She walked in and around her desk, sitting down and pulling out a piece of paper. She furiously scribbled a note before opening a drawer. She took out a prepared small package and tucked the note inside the edge of the wrapping before holding it out for him to take.

“Would you please send this to this address? And be discreet about it.”

He took the package and waited as she wrote down an address on another piece of paper. He took it from her and she leaned back in her chair, hands clasped and resting on the top of her head. He immediately turned to leave but stopped abruptly as she called out.

“And Yosuke! I mean it about being discreet. I’ve spent many years earning Lin Beifong’s trust. And make sure the note doesn’t fall out!”

He started to move again but had to stop as the note in question slipped from the package. He quickly picked it up and couldn’t help but take a peak before shoving it back inside.

_Lin,_

_Don’t move your arm too much and try to lay down so the ribs heal properly this time. You know where I am._

_-Sora_


	2. First Meetings - 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young airbender and earthbender get into trouble but don't want their parents to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I stated in the story notes I don't have much for younger Lin and Sora because I feel that Katara would have taken care of her. But I still wanted a young Lin chapter or two so I made it work ;)

Sora was catching up on paperwork at the front intake desk when the door opened and two kids walked in. They were both filthy but didn’t seem to be in need of immediate attention and she watched them curiously. The boy was holding his arm while the girl seemed to be rambling on to him.

“If you just keep your mouth shut they’ll never find out.”

The girl looked towards the desk and Sora quickly averted her eyes to her paperwork, a smile on her lips. She had gotten a good look at the boy and knew exactly who they were. Apparently they had gotten into some trouble that they didn’t want their parents to know about. She honestly didn’t blame them.

One of the senior healers rounded the corner and saw the kids. He started to go to them, obviously annoyed but Sora quickly stood up.

“I’ve got them Master Kenta.”

Her superior didn’t need to be told twice. His bedside manner was always lacking and he had a spectacular intolerance for children. She was also certain he would inform the pair’s parents of exactly what happened without a second thought.

Sora rounded the desk and approached the pair.

“Can I help you?”

“He’s hurt. It’s his arm.”

The girl kept her words short and to the point. Spirits, she was just like her mother in both looks and temperament. Sora motioned for them to move the waiting area, both of them taking seats right next to each other. The healer knelt down in front of Tenzin and held out her hands.

“Let’s take a look.”

He winced when she touched his arm, scrunching his face up. She summoned her healing waters and carefully encased the arm. It wasn’t broken but there was a slight fracture. Nothing too serious, though. He wouldn’t even need a follow up session. The water glowed blue and after a minute the arm was completely healed. She looked at him and smiled, patting his knee softly.

“There. Good as new.”

She turned to look at Lin, noticing that the young girl was watching intently undoubtedly making sure Sora didn’t hurt the young airbender. She seemed unhurt but she was covered in just as much dirt as Tenzin and the healer turned her full attention to her.

“And you? Are you hurt too?”

She shook her head way too fast for Sora to believe her.

“No, I’m fine.”

“She hit her head.”

Lin’s head shot to her side as she glared at Tenzin. Oh, she most certainly was Toph Beifong’s daughter. Sora had seen the Police Chief give Master Katara that same look more than once. She shifted herself over so she was now in front of Lin.

“It’ll only take a second, I promise. Let me check it out.”

The earthbender carefully avoided eye contact as she nodded her head ever so slightly. Sora smiled again as she once again summoned her water and brought it to the girl’s head. There was a small cut just behind her left ear and she quickly ran the water over it, healing it without a trace. There was no internal damage which was a relief. She brought her hands down as the water retreated back to the skein she kept at her hip.

“Completely healed.”

Lin ran her hand through her hair, going right for the spot Sora just healed. _So she knew she was hurt and just didn’t tell me._ The healer made a mental note of that as she got to her feet.

“Now, do you two want to tell me how this happened?”

The pair quickly looked to each with a panicked look. Without warning Lin jumped up, pushing Sora away from them. She grabbed Tenzin by the wrist and the pair ran for the door. Just before they rounded the corner Tenzin peaked his head behind them to look at her.

“Thank you!”

Sora chuckled as she watched the airbender get yanked back around as they disappeared. She wouldn’t contact their parents but she did have to add a note to their files. Which meant Master Katara would eventually find out. She had a feeling, however, that the pair would be found out much sooner by the Chief of Police. Lin may be able to evade her mother’s senses but Tenzin was an obvious weak point and would undoubtedly bend under any kind of pressure from the unrelenting earthbender.

She laughed again as she returned to her post at the front desk. Oh, how she wished she could be a fly on the wall for that interaction. The poor boy didn’t stand a chance.


	3. Trust - 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is called trust because it's the point that Sora earns Lin's trust. A short one!

The night was chilly and Sora wrapped her scarf around her tighter as she started the trek home. Rounding a corner she privately lamented not investing in a Satomobile to make her daily commute, at the very least, a bit warmer. She stopped, though, when she saw a figure step out in front of her. She jumped, brain racing for a plan of defense before realizing she knew this figure.

“Spirits, you scared me!”

“Sorry.”

Sora took in the appearance of a clearly upset Lin Beifong. She was wearing a tank top and pants and was visibly shivering. Her eyes were bloodshot and there was a large white bandaged haphazardly taped to her cheek.

“Are you okay?”

Expecting a quick “ _I’m fine”_ or some other retort, Sora was surprised when the young woman’s face crumpled as she shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. She moved on instinct, taking the woman’s hands in her own.

“Hey, it’s okay. I can help. Why don’t we go inside?”

Lin looked to her and Sora felt a pang of sadness at the look of complete brokenness in the earthbender’s eyes. She nodded subtley and allowed the healer to lead her back inside.

Sora brought her to her newly assigned private office and closed the door behind them, noticing a look of relief cross the young woman’s face. Sora pulled a blue jacket she often kept to wear during the colder months in the hospital and offered it to Lin. She took it and pulled it on without a word.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“No.”

“Okay, that’s fine. How about you take that bandage off so I can see?”

Lin carefully peeled off the white cloth, wincing as it pulled at her skin. Sora’s face fell as she saw the wound beneath. There were two deep gashes running along her cheek. They were red and oozing but it did not look like a fresh wound.

“How long ago did this happen?”

“4 days ago.”

Any other time she would have scolded the earthbender for waiting so long to see a healer but didn’t feel like upsetting her more. Instead she beckoned for her to sit in a chair while she examined the wound closer. One of the cuts was a hair’s length from her eye.

“You’re very lucky whatever you got hit with didn’t get your eye.”

“My vision started blurring 2 days ago which is why I came here.”

Sora only nodded, once again silently reprimanding her for not seeking help sooner. She slowly brought her healing water to her face, clearing the wound of possible infection and working to bring the skin back together.

“If I may ask? Why didn’t you ask Master Katara to heal you?”

“I’ve got enough family drama going on. I didn’t want to bother her.”

Sora knew from personal experience that Katara would never see Lin as a bother. Whatever had happened had obviously made the girl feel like a burden on her own family. As the water continued glowing Sora got a better feel for the wound. It seemed the eye was going to be fine but the cuts went too deep to fully heal.

“It’s going to scar, isn’t it?”

Sora directed the water back to her hip as she looked at Lin sadly.

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

Lin nodded, letting out a small mirthless laugh. She stood and made to take off the coat.

“You keep it. It’s cold tonight.”

The earthbender nodded again, making to leave. She paused at the door.

“Thank you.”

“Of course. Any time. You know where to find me.”

Sora watched as she walked through the door, another pang of sadness rushing through her. The poor girl looked so defeated and she felt helpless to do anything more to help her.


	4. Antidote - 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin gets poisoned

“I’m heading out for the night, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

Sora finished buttoning her coat as she walked to the front doors of the hospital. It had been another busy day and she was very much looking forward to ordering some takeout and catching up on the newest book in her favorite romance novel series. She was just about to reach for the door when they were blown open, knocking her to the ground.

“Help! Please!”

Recovering quickly, Sora looked up to see Master Tenzin looking around frantically carrying an unconscious woman. They both appeared to be wearing formal attire with the airbender wearing a gold chain around his usual air nomad robes while the woman wore a simple green dress. As she stood Sora realized she recognized the woman as Chief Lin Beifong.

“What happened?!”

Sora moved to them.

“I don’t know. She just collapsed.”

As she examined Lin she caught the hint of a familiar smell. Her lips were turning an unnatural shade of purple and spidery veins were spreading out across her face. _Poison._ She felt a surge of panic when she felt for a pulse and didn’t feel one.

“Set her down here! We need some help over here!”

Tenzin laid her down gently and Sora immediately began CPR. One of the other healers had come running over.

“Quickly! Check the medical stores for an antidote for the medusa poison!”

She started counting out loud as she forcibly kept the earthbender’s heart beating. The poison was a quick acting one derived from a particularly venomous jellyfish. She had only seen one other patient who had been affected by it before, while she was still training under Master Katara. Even under her mentor’s healing hands they had been unable to save the patient. It was crucial that the antidote for the Medusa poison be administered within an hour of exposure if the patient was to have any chance of surviving. And even then, the odds weren’t great.

“I’ve got it!”

“Take over while I give it to her!”

The other healer replaced Sora’s hands with her own, keeping the steady rhythm. Sora carefully opened the bottom and poured the contents into Lin’s mouth, massaging her neck to ensure it went down. She reached an arm out to stop the compressions as they all watched Lin. Tenzin’s face was full of desperation, hands on his head. After what seemed like a lifetime the purple veins started retreating and a pink hue returned to her lips.

Sora let out a breath of relief as the Police Chief took a gasping breath. Tenzin dropped to his knees beside her, taking her hand. Green eyes fluttered a few times before opening.

“What happened?”

Her voice came out in a croak and she coughed, grabbing Tenzin’s arm.

“Someone poisoned you.”

Her brow furrowed.

“No, airhead, they tried to poison _you._ I took your drink, remember?”

She tried to pull herself up but only made it a few inches off the ground before falling back down with a groan.

“You’re going to be fatigued for a while. This is a particularly nasty poison. To be quite frank, you’re lucky to even be alive. I’d like to keep you overnight for observation.”

“No.”

“Lin…”

“Don’t start, Tenzin.”

Sora narrowed her eyes.

“Well, Chief. Unless you can walk out of here on your own I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”

Lin tried again to push herself up and again failed in moving more than a couple inches off the ground.

“Fine. But I’m leaving in the morning.”

“Fine by me.”

Sora stood up and hid a smile as Tenzin easily picked up a now visibly annoyed Lin Beifong. She had managed to cross her arms and she scowled at them all as he carried her to a private room. A thought crossed her mind as she watched them and she quickly ran to the hospital phone.

This was an obvious attempt to murder Councilman Tenzin and if word got out that he was still alive, they may try it again. She phoned the police station, informing them of the situation. She felt relief when they said they’d be sending some officers to the hospital. The relief was short lived, however, as she thought of how her patient was going to react.

Maybe she wouldn’t tell her she’s the one who called them.


	5. Sedation - 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training new recruits doesn't always end very well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be a personal favorite of mine. This takes place about a year after her and Tenzin broke things off and I like to think her temper was at its peak around that time. I'm very much looking forward to writing the companion piece for this chapter

“The baby seems perfectly healthy. Unless you have any trouble I shouldn’t need to see you until it’s time for this tiny new person to make their grand debut.”

Sora smiled at the young couple in front of her. Neither parent was a bender themselves but the poor mother had started burping up flames in her third trimester which meant they must have a dormant gene somewhere in their family. The young man helped his wife off the examination table and the pair made their way to the lobby.

A commotion made Sora frown as she followed quickly to where they had just disappeared, just in time to catch the expectant mother almost get knocked over by a group of frantic looking young people. The couple dodged around the group, leaving quickly as the sound of unmistakable yelling got closer. She noticed that some of them were wearing Republic City Police shirts and another moment the cause of the scene made her appearance. A young man entered, looking completely terrified, carrying a screaming Lin Beifong in his arms.

“YOU MEATHEADS ARE THE STUPIDIEST BUNCH I’VE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF TRAINING!”

Sora’s chuckle turned to concern as she noticed the young man’s shirt was covered in blood. Lin was wearing her casual training outfit instead of the usual armor and, looking closer, she saw a sizable piece of metal sticking out of Lin’s abdomen. _Not good._ She quickly ran to the bunch.

“HEY!”

The trainees were like a herd of cats, frantically walking around the hospital lobby and Sora had to raise her voice to get their attention.

“There’s a waiting room down the hall. Anyone who is not carrying Chief Beifong can wait there.”

They didn’t need telling twice and Sora took in a deep breath as they tore down the hall, disturbing any semblance of peace she tried to keep in her hospital. The poor young officer carrying his boss looking longingly after them as if he, too, wished to be anywhere else. Sora beckoned him in as a gurney was brought to them.

“Set her down carefully.”

“Watch your hands- ow!”

Lin tilted her head back against the pillow the instant she was set down. Sora wheeled her over to one of the trauma areas. She had noticed as she was lowered down that there was an exit wound on her back but that the metal was not sticking out meaning someone had already moved it.

“Chief, try to hold still and DON’T touch it. I need to see-“

Lin either wasn’t listening or was feeling especially defiant because Sora wasn’t even able to finish her sentence before she made to grab the metal rod. Acting on instinct, the healer grabbed her hands and pinned them down. The last thing she needed was for her to metalbend it into a worse position. Another healer came over and Sora gave her a knowing nod.

“Chief Beifong, if you don’t try and calm down I’m going to-“

“I AM CALM! THAT IDIOT IMAPLED ME! DON’T WALK AWAY FROM ME!”

Yanking her arms from the healer, Lin turned to continue yelling at the poor officer who had seemingly been trying to make his escape. She started to absentmindedly try to pull at the shard but Sora was already prepared for this as her fellow healer had prepared a syringe for her. She, once again, restrained the earthbender’s arm with one of her own while the other quickly gave her the injection.

Lin turned her attention to Sora with a death glare that would make most people cringe but the healer just held her gaze defiantly.

“What did y-“

Her words were slurred as Sora watched her eyes droop, an empty threat on her lips before she lost consciousness. Sighing deeply Sora turned to the recruit and offered him a sympathetic smile.

“You can join your friends, down the hall.”

He was still watching his boss as his brain processed what she said. Looking to her quickly he nodded before turning and practically running down the hall.

* * *

A couple hours later Sora was satisfied that Lin wasn’t in any kind of danger and left the Police Chief to get some much needed (and somewhat forced) rest in the private room she often kept reserved for her favorite patient.

She walked to the waiting room where about a dozen young police recruits were in various states of unrest. A couple were passed out in chairs and on the floor while a couple others seemed to be pacing around the room. As she entered the room, the dozing officers were kicked awake as they all stood, immediately barraging her with frantic questions.

“Is Chief Beifong okay?”

“Do you think she’s mad at us?”

“Did Li kill the chief of police on his first day?”

“Stop! I didn’t mean to!”

“Yeah, Li. You might actually be better off if you killed her because if she’s still alive it won’t be long before she kills y-“

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

Sora’s head spun as she tried to keep up with their verbal assault. The young man called Li looked like he might actually cry as they all mumbled apologizes to the floor.

“Chief Beifong is going to be just fine. She’ll need a couple more healing sessions but she will be okay. She’s just resting now and I assure you she won’t be killing anyone.”

Sora said the words but wasn’t sure she fully believed them. She had a decent enough relationship with the police chief but she always had a hard time getting the stubborn woman to listen to her.

“Now. Would anyone like to tell me what exactly happened?”

Once again, they began talking all at once and Sora whistled loudly to get them back under control. She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes.

“One at a time.”

It was going to be a very long night.


	6. The Ruse - 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora goes to help Lin at the request of Katara. She comes up with a ruse to avoid suspicion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post Tenzin breakup. I bounce around with certain headcanons based on the plot I need for whatever fic I'm working on. In this one Katara is still in Republic City and didn't leave for the Southern Water Tribe until Tenzin proposed to Pema.

Sora nestled on her couch, carefully balancing her bowl on her legs while she adjusted the pillow behind her aching back. She had spent the last hour making homemade noodle soup with her favorite combination of fresh vegetables. She had lit several candles and the room glowed a warm and comforting golden hue.

Sipping the broth she felt the warmth fill her and let out a satisfied sigh. She had 3 days off from the hospital and she was determined to spend it focusing on recharging and taking care of her own self for once. As visions of her date with a hot bubble bath and her favorite book flashed through her mind Sora was snapped back to realty by the sound of her phone ringing.

She groaned loudly.

_I’ll just ignore it._

_But what if it’s an emergency…_

Letting out another groan she set down her half empty bowl and walked to the phone.

“Hello.”

“Sora, I’m so sorry to bother you at home but I have a personal favor to ask.”

“Katara?”

Sora’s demeanor changed as soon as she recognized the voice on the other end of the phone. It wasn’t completely unusual for her to talk with her former mentor but she hadn’t seen the master waterbender in nearly two years. And she had never asked a favor of her before.

“I wouldn’t have called at all but I’m worried and I thought that maybe since you seem to have developed a level of trust with her that you may be one of the few people who can help.”

“Who-“

“It’s Lin. Lin Beifong. There was an incident on Air Temple Island and she was quite upset. I think I saw her limping but she refused to let me look her over.”

 _Sounds about right._ She was immensely curious about the _incident_ Katara mentioned but didn’t think now was the best time to bring it up. If Lin was hurt she was more than willing to try and help. Though, she wasn’t sure what made Katara think she’d have better luck getting through to the notoriously stubborn earthbender.

“Of course I can try and help but I’m not sure-“

“I know. I know how Lin is but I just don’t want her to be alone right now.”

There was unmistakable quiver of emotion in the healer’s voice.

“I’ll see what I can do. Do you know where I can find her?”

“I’d hope she’d be at home but knowing Lin she’ll be at the police station. Oh! And please don’t mention that I sent you.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“And it’s probably best not to mention Tenzin either.”

That was an interesting development and Sora began to put certain pieces together. She knew, of course, that Lin and Tenzin had long been in a committed relationship, the whole city knew. But it seemed that something significant had changed. And Lin was upset about it.

“I’ll be very discreet.”

“Thank you, Sora. I- just, thank you.”

“Of course, Sifu.”

* * *

Sora had promised Katara she wouldn’t mention to Lin that she had sent her but she wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to manage that particular feat of deception. Abandoning her quiet night in, Sora made her way across the city to the Republic City police headquarters.

As she caught site of a small group of very young recruits she got an idea. Entering the station she asked for directions to the Chief of Police’s office. She carefully maneuvered her way to the room in question, preparing herself before pushing the door open.

The room was busy as dozens of officers were scrambling about the room. She approached a young officer, startling the young woman as she cleared her throat loudly.

“Could you point me in the direction of the Chief’s office?”

“What? Oh! Yes, her office is over there.”

Sora thanked her and made her calculated approach, knocking gently on the office door.

“Come in.”

Pushing the door open slowly Sora peaked her head inside. Lin was sitting at her desk, papers strewn everywhere as she hunched over and scribbled furiously without so much as looking up. Sora cleared her throat quietly and her eyes snapped up to her own. She narrowed them suspiciously.

“What are _you_ doing here? I did-“

“The hospital sent me. Something about offering free physical exams to the police force.”

“I didn’t request anything of the sort.”

“I think it came from the city council. I don’t know though, they didn’t tell me much. I just went where I was told.”

Sora smiled broadly while Lin still stared, as if trying to sense if she were lying. The earthbender must not have mastered her mother’s ability to detect mistruths, however, because she returned to her paperwork.

“Fine. Make it quick.”

“How about I start with you?”

Her eyes immediately snapped up again.

“What? I’m fine.”

Sora struggled to keep her cool. She was so close.

“Okay then! I was hoping to just get you out of the way. If the council is making this a new requirement for all officers I’d hate to have make another trip just to see you. Or have you come to the hospital on your day off.”

Lin looked to the ceiling, shaking her head.

“Fine. But don’t take all day, I’ve got other things I should be doing.”

“Great!”

Sora smiled brightly again, stepping completely in the office and closing the door behind her.

“It’ll only take a second if you’ll just stand for a moment.”

Lin did as she was told. She walked around the desk and Sora could not help but notice the slight wince as she stepped. The limp was very subtle, but definitely there and the Police Chief didn’t want to let on about it.

“I’m just going to run the water over you to check you all out. Are you having any pain right now?”

“No.”

She had given her an easy opportunity to come clean about whatever happened to her leg but she was still too stubborn to admit she was hurt. _Typical…_

As she ran the water over Lin she sensed the woman’s stance stiffen slightly as she made her way down her left leg.

“Hmm, it seems like this ankle may have a mild sprain. Is it causing you any pain?”

Lin grumbled something incoherently.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that?”

“It’s a little tender, I guess.”

If Sora wasn’t concentrating so hard to protect her mission from Katara she would have rolled her eyes.

“If you have a seat for just a second I can heal it for you.”

Lin sat without a word, retracting the metal of her boot away from the visibly swollen ankle. Sora quickly ran her water over it and after a few seconds the swelling went down and Lin seemed to be in much less discomfort.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime, Chief Beifong.”

They both stood, Lin walking to the office door and Sora following behind. The bustling room outside immediately got quiet as their boss appeared.

“Listen, you lot. This is Master Sora. She’s here to perform free physical exams to you all on orders from the City Council. Listen to what she says and if anyone gives her any trouble, you’ll answer directly to me.”

Sora had been confused for a moment when the chief started speaking but then she quickly remembered the ruse she had concocted in order to heal Lin’s injury and felt her stomach drop. She’d have to actually follow through on her story or else, not only would Katara be in hot water, but she’d lose the trust she had spent significant time building with Lin Beifong.

A small group of officers were already gathered, looking to her expectantly. Lin turned to her, offering a very slight smile and quick nod before retreating back to her office.

Katara owed her big time for this one.


	7. World's Greatest Earthbender - 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparring with the greatest earthbender in the world sometimes has its consequences.

“Hey! A little help over here!”

Sora heard the shout from down the hall and came running in time to see the Chief of police lowering a young woman onto a gurney. She was no stranger to seeing Chief Beifong but she was not used to seeing her out of uniform. And she definitely was not expecting to see her carrying her eldest daughter over her shoulder, seemingly unconscious.

Sora rushed to them, noticing a small girl with dark hair and skin peeking out from behind her mother. Her eyes were wide and full of tears as she stared at Sora. She gave the youngest Beifong a reassuring smile as she looked over her older sister.

“What happened?”

“We were sparring and she got hit by a decent sized rock that came dislodged from the edge of the rockwall.”

Sora eyes bulged as she stared at the woman incredulously. The famed earthbender’s eyes didn’t look anywhere in particular but she seemed to pick up on Sora’s thoughts from the silence as she waved one hand in the air, the other keeping a firm grip on her daughter’s arm.

“ _I_ didn’t hit her with it! It was coming for me and the stupid kid pushed me out of the way.”

Sora had never seen Toph Beifong in such a panicked state. She had seen the woman cool as a cucumber after hostage situations and triad attacks. It seemed that even the tough as nails, inventor of metalbending, and self-proclaimed greatest earthebender of the world had a weak spot where her children were involved. She ran healing water over Lin’s head, closing her eyes in concentration.

“She’ll be okay, right?”

The healer opened her eyes and smiled, taking Toph’s free hand in her own.

“She’ll be fine. Just a minor concussion.”

The earthbender seemed to sag in relief as she undoubtedly could sense the truth in Sora’s words.

“I can show you to a private room where you can sit with her until she wakes up.”

Toph looked to her with a blank stare, nodding with a smile.

“Thank you. Come on, Su, if you behave I’ll let you pick out a treat from the vending machines in the hallway.”

“Can I pick one for Lin too?”

“Sure, badgermole, I’m sure she’d love that.”

Toph swung the youngest Beifong up on the end of the bed Lin was on and she bounced excitedly up and down on it. Sora noticed that the Police Chief still had a tight grip on Lin’s arm as the family disappeared around the corner.

* * *

She did one more round before leaving for the night. She checked on the Beifong family last. Lin had woken up a little earlier and seemed in decent enough spirits. She seemed thoroughly annoyed with both her mother and sister, giving them both some pretty impressive teenage eye rolls.

As Sora peaked in the room, however, she found Lin the only occupant, sound asleep. She walked to her and checked her over, satisfied that she was still fine before walking down the hall.

“I want that one for me and that big one for Lin!”

Sora stopped for a moment, watching the mother daughter duo curiously.

“Su, you know I can’t see what you’re pointing to. Tell me how much money we need and push the right buttons.”

Toph lifted the little girl up so she could push the buttons, setting her back down as the sweets were dispensed. The Chief then knelt down in front of her daughter, taking both of her hands.

“Now, remember what we talked about?”

“Yes. No telling Aunt Katara what happened.”

“Right.”

“But mommy, you always tell us not to lie.”

“No Su, I tell you not to lie to _me._ Because I’m an earthbender and will know if you’re lying. Katara is a waterbender and she can barely manage that.”

Sora snorted, covering her mouth quickly as she walked away. She had trained personally under Katara and knew quite well that she was arguably the best waterbender in the world. She knew a bit about the greatest earthbender in the world as well. She had a feeling that her daughters just might cause her more trouble than their mother.


	8. Pain - 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin is dropped off at the hospital after being missing for 10 days. ***Content Warning*** Mentions of rape. Not a happy chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING for rape. Since each chapter can stand alone please skip if you'd rather not read. I've done a double chapter update to make it easy enough to move on

The horrible feeling of dread had taken up residence in her gut days ago and grew more intense every time she looked at the headlines in the papers.

Lin Beifong had gone missing 10 days ago in a suspected kidnapping.

The news was full of sensationalized theories and rumors but Sora knew that whatever had really happened was being kept quiet, most likely in an effort to protect the missing police chief. The healer had switched shifts with a friend and was now struggling to stay awake as she read over the newest article for the hundredth time.

A movement just outside the hospital doors caught her eye and she noticed two dark figures quickly retreating out of sight. Standing up from the desk she caught site of an unmoving object on the ground. It looked like a person.

“Hey, I need a little help out here.”

She felt uneasy about the whole thing, waiting for two of her colleagues to join her before approaching the outside world. As they got closer she could see that it was definitely a human body and as soon as the doors opened Sora felt a fresh pang of dread as she recognized the bloody and unconscious woman.

_Lin._

“We need to get her inside, NOW!”

Sora knelt down, desperately feeling for a pulse. She found one, frantic and thready, but still strong. She didn’t get a chance to get an inventory of all her injuries before a bed had been brought out and one of the other healers easily picked up the police chief and set her down on it.

They rolled into one of the trauma rooms and Sora worked on removing the remains of Lin’s tattered clothing. She could already see the beating the poor woman’s body had taken as cuts and bruises of various shades of purple covered her entire body. As they turned her on her side the earhtbender’s eyes suddenly snapped open. She frantically started thrashing and Sora caught one of her fists to the nose, yelping as she felt it break, blood pouring down her face.

Something in Lin seemed to change when Sora yelled and her eyes widened in realization as she recognized the healer.

“S-sorry. I’m so sorry. Didn’t mean-“

Her voice came out in a croak and her breath seemed to hitch. Tears leaked from her eyes and she looked so ashamed at what she had done. Sora brushed off one of the healer’s when they tried to fix her nose, getting closer to Lin.

“It’s okay, Chief. I’m okay. I just need you to try and calm down so we can help you. Okay?”

Lin calmed, still struggling to take in deep breaths as she nodded. Her eyes darted to the other healers around them and she grabbed Sora’s arm, her grip tight enough that it hurt.

“Just you.”

“Chief, I can help better if they help-“

“Please…”

There was such pained sadness in her eyes that Sora felt her own eyes burning. She looked to the others and nodded, one of them closing the door as they left. Sora quietly gathered water and ran it over the woman’s tattered body. It was bad. Very bad. Her entire torso was covered in blunt force injuries and one of ribs had punctured her lung. Her right hand seemed as if it had been smashed, significant breaks and fractures in all the fingers and her wrist hung nearly limp, the bone completely snapped. The healer would not be able to fix this all at once and definitely wouldn’t be able to do it on her own. She would have to start by just working on getting the pain under control and healing what she could.

“I’m going to try and fix your ribs for now so you can breathe easier, okay?”

Lin nodded slightly.

“It’s going to hurt, I’m sorry.”

Sora took in a breath and closed her eyes, focusing on repairing the broken rib and the damaged lung at the same time. Lin clenched her eyes closed tightly and sucked in a deep breath. After a couple minutes Sora dropped her hands, the water retreating as beads of sweat dripped down her face. Lin seemed to breathe easier now as the healer took a moment to regain her own energy.

“I want to do the hand too but I’m afraid I won’t be able to heal anything else after. So I’m going to heal some of the lesser injuries first.”

Lin only nodded again, eyes staring resolutely at the ceiling. Sora rolled her neck before once again running the healing waters over her.

“Can I ask what happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Lin…”

“They wanted Tenzin.”

Sora paused for just a second but didn’t press further. Whoever had done this had obviously thought Lin was still important to the airbender but apparently hadn’t gotten what they wanted. It wasn’t the first time, but Sora cursed Tenzin in her mind at the pain he was still causing Lin.

“He has a wife and kid now. And they still came after me.”

She laughed bitterly, tears now streaming down her face. Sora struggled to prevent her own tears from falling as she guided the water to the lower section of her body. It brushed against an injury that was more familiar to the healer than she wished and Lin let out a small hiss of pain.

“Lin?”

The earthbender had her eyes closed as she turned away, tears still streaming.

“Lin, did they ra-“

“Don’t say it.”

Her green eyes bore into Sora’s deep brown ones.

“Please, just don’t…”

“Lin…”

“Yes, okay? Yes they raped… it’s not the first time. I’ll be fine…”

Her voice trailed away and Sora blinked rapidly, returning her focus to the task at hand. She healed the tears and bruises, both external and internal as quickly as she could. She didn’t care if she’d use every ounce of energy she had she would at least give Lin that small comfort. While the worst of the injuries, it was not the last as she continued down her legs and finally to her feet.

Sora’s shoulders slumped as she sensed the state of the earthbender’s feet. Her captors had undoubtedly wanted to prevent her from any chance of escape because both feet had been broken. She suspected in the same way as her hand based off the similar way the bones were shattered.

“I can’t heal the feet and your hand in this session.”

“Just do what you can with the feet.”

Sora only nodded as she worked on the reconstruction of the bones the best she could. She knew the importance an earthbender’s feet played in sensing the world around them. She couldn’t heal them completely before her power finally gave out but she had made a significant start.

“I’ve done what I can for now. I can give you a sedative to help you sleep if you-“

“Yes.”

Sora carefully helped Lin into a hospital gown, carefully propping her head on a mountain of fluffy pillows before covering her with a blanket. Lin was careful not to make eye contact with her and Sora didn’t question her any farther about what had happened. There would be time to talk but for now her job as a healer was to keep her patient comfortable and make sure she felt safe. She placed a hand on Lin’s shoulder as she carefully injected her with a strong sedative.

As the police chief’s eyes drooped close Sora squeezed her shoulder gently.

“You’re safe now, Lin.”

* * *

Sora took a moment to collect herself, wiping her eyes and dimming the lights in the earhtbender’s room. As she stepped into the hall she could hear several very loud voices.

“Aiko!”

She caught the attention of one the younger healers she was still training and the young girl came running.

“I need to stay by Chief Beifong’s room at all times. No one but myself is allowed inside and you’re to tell me immediately if she wakes. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master Sora!”

The young woman seemed sincere as she took her position outside the door. Content that Lin was in good hands Sora walked to the front desk where a small crowd of people were badgering her colleagues. Several of them were wearing the police logo and Sora surmised these were Lin’s officers. As she approached them a gust of wind blew through the doors and Tenzin joined the group.

“Where is Chief Beifong?”

“Is she okay?”

“Did she tell you what happened?”

Sora just raised her hands and they all fell silent.

“Chief Beifong is resting. She’s a little banged up but the only thing she needs right now is rest.”

“Master Sora, please, did she tell you what happened?”

Sora looked Tenzin sternly in the face.

“I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to discuss anything the Chief may have confided in me. You will have to talk to her when I see fit to allow her to have visitors.”

Tenzin looked as if he wanted to press further but a glare from Sora made him think better of it. He dipped his head to her in acknowledgement though Sora was still going to keep an eye on him. The last thing she needed was him sneaking into her room.

“Master Tenzin and no more than 3 of you may stay and wait for any updates. The rest of you will have to leave.”

There were a few grumbles and arguing over who was going to stay but after a couple minutes the lobby was once again empty.

Satisfied Sora made her way back to where Aiko stood guard.

“All good?”

“Yes! No change and no one tried to enter.”

“Good.”

Sora went to pinch the bridge of her nose but let out a hiss when she felt a jolt of pain, remembering that her nose was very much broken.

“Are you okay, Master Sora?”

“Aiko, how good are you at healing broken noses?”


	9. Rubble - 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more Beifong family antics

It had been a quiet morning.

Sora should have known it had been a little _too_ quiet because without warning the entire hospital seemed to shake as the deafening and unmistakable sound of an explosion rocked their section of the city.

She braced herself against a doorway as she watched others fall to the ground. The hospital descended into immediate chaos as people started flooding inside. Sora and the other healers immediately started prioritizing patients based on their injuries, directing people in all directions in an attempt to maintain order.

A teenage girl came running in and Sora heard her ask one of the other healers for her by name. As she approached she recognized the young girl as Suyin Beifong, the Chief of Police’s youngest daughter. She appeared unharmed and as soon as she saw Sora she came running.

“Please, you have to help my sister. She’s hurt and can’t walk.”

“Bring me to her.”

Sora followed Su as she ran back out the door. The air was a dark grey as smoke billowed about. They ran two blocks down the road and Sora caught a slight glimpse of the damage. Flames shot up to the sky over the remains of what was once a financial building. The apartment complex directly next to the blast had taken significant damage as well but the main walls were still standing.

As they got closer Sora could see Lin sitting on the ground, propped up against the wall. Su ran to her, kneeling on the ground and gripping her shoulder. Sora immediately knelt on her other side.

“You’re going to be okay, Lin. I got help.”

“Can you tell me where you’re hurt? Your sister said you can’t walk?”

“I think my leg is broken but I need you to fix my hands.”

Sora had to stop herself from gasping as the earthbender held up her hands. The skin was red and blistered with severe burns. Lin winced as she tried to move them, clear fluid oozing down her hands.

“Okay, let me see if I can heal the leg and then we can go back-“

“No! You have to heal my hands first. I need them.”

Not wanting to upset Lin further, Sora nodded as she bent the water over her hands. The young woman was lucky, it seemed, because the burns looked much worse than they actually were. It only took a couple minutes for her to heal the worst of it, the blisters gone but the skin still pink and tender.

“Looks like you got lucky this time, there won’t be any permanent damage.”

Lin sagged in relief and Sora thought she might understand. While bender’s didn’t necessarily _need_ their hands to bend, they were the easiest tools to master proper bending technique.

“Now the leg.”

Sora carefully removed Lin’s boot and rolled up her pant leg. Definitely broken.

“I’ve got to try and set the leg but I’ll need to get you to the hospital to properly heal it. This is going to hurt.”

Sora tried to make quick work of realigning the bone. It was a clean break but she still had to hold down Lin’s leg to prevent her from jerking away. She heard Su cry out as Lin squeezed her hand tightly. She finished and both her and Lin let out the breath they were evidently holding.

Su was crying now and she flung her arms around Lin’s neck.

“Ow, Su, stop it!”

“I’m so sorry Lin! It’s my fault you got hurt!”

“No it’s not, Su. You didn’t decide to blow up a whole city block. Now get off me.”

Lin tried her best to shrug her sister off her and Su wiped her face. Sora smiled as she looked between the two sisters.

“Suyin, I think if we each take a side we’ll be able to help Lin walk to the hospital.”

The young girl nodded and they carefully wrapped each of Lin’s arms over their shoulders, lifting her up. It took a moment for the three of them to find their balance but after a moment they were making their way down the street.

“Lin, Su!”

As the hospital came into view Toph Beifong came running towards them. She was in her police uniform and her face was full of worry as she approached her daughters. She immediately went to Lin, placing her hands on her face and chest. Sora watched curiously wondering what the earthbender could sense from the touch. She dropped her hands, seemingly satisfied that she was okay.

“What were you two doing down here?”

“Su and I were going out for lunch. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Suyin, are you okay? Your heart is racing.”

Sora felt a pang of guilt. She hadn’t even thought to check the younger girl for injuries. Before she could shift to help her she burst into fresh tears.

“It was my fault Lin got hurt, mom. I didn’t sense the blast quick enough and Lin had to shield us both. If I hadn’t been in the way she could have reacted quicker and wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

The healer felt for the girl, expecting Toph to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault. Though, thinking on it, she should have known better based off her past dealings with the police chief.

“Suyin, enough with the waterworks. Lin is the one with a broken leg and you don’t see her complaining.”

Sora stared at the police chief as she nudged her younger daughter out of the way and replaced her at Lin’s side. They worked together to get Lin the rest of the way inside, Su trailing behind and now pouting. The healer still watched Toph and noticed that she kept glancing at Lin.

“They’re both fine, Chief. I promise.”

Blank eyes met Sora’s brown ones and they shared a brief moment before she looked away again.

“Of course they’re fine. They’re my kids. Even if they do share a single brain cell between their two meatheads.”

“Hey!”

“Mom!”

Sora laughed as the three Beifongs continued bickering all the way inside.


	10. House Call - 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora makes a house call as a sickness hits Republic City

Sora felt dead on her feet as she walked up the stairs of the apartment building. She had been working non-stop for about two weeks as a particularly nasty and contagious virus ran rampant through Republic City. The hospital was regularly overcapacity and Sora didn’t have enough healers to go around. They weren’t able to “heal” the virus but they could alleviate any pain their patients were feeling. Most of their time was spent keeping them hydrated and fed the best they could. With rest, plenty of fluids, and pain management most people were recovering within a week.

Without proper care, however, recovery took longer and the virus became more dangerous. Which is why Sora was currently making the rare house call. She had received a phone call from Councilman Tenzin who apparently had been contacted by Assistant Police Chief Saikhan who informed him that his boss was sick and not taking care of herself. This wasn’t a surprise to anyone involved and Sora had half a mind to let the Police Chief have her stubborn way for a couple days and leave her alone.

She couldn’t do that, though. It went against her code as a healer and her personal feelings where the earthbender was involved. She had developed a soft spot for Lin over the years and was used to dealing with her less than cooperative temperament.

So Sora was now dragging herself up three flights of stairs, a bowl of chicken broth and mineral water sloshing around in her bag. She paused for a moment as she finally made it to her destination, catching her breath before knocking loudly on the door.

No answer.

She knocked again.

Still no answer.

“Chief Beifong? It’s Sora, from the hospital. Are you in there?”

When there was still no answer Sora tried the door and was relieved when she found it unlocked. She pushed the door open slowly. The apartment was quiet enough that Sora wondered if Lin was even home. She walked through the empty living room area and down a small hall she assumed led to a bedroom.

The door was slightly open and Sora knocked lightly before peaking her head in. She couldn’t help but smile slightly as she took in the sight of the Chief of Police completely burrowed under a mountain of blankets, just the tufts of her graying hair sticking out at the head of the bed.

“Go away.”

There wasn’t much gumption behind the words and she was too weak to properly yell at her to leave. Sora rolled her eyes.

“Yes well, I’d rather be somewhere else than making a house call to the Chief of Police because she refuses to take care of herself and yet, here I am.”

The mound of blankets shifted and glassy green eyes appeared, giving one of their usual glares. Sora held her gaze, satisified that her spirit hadn’t been affected. Lin’s face scrunched and she covered her face with the crook of her arm.

“Fine… can you just do something to help this headache? And I can’t seem to get warm.”

“I also heard you passed out at the station.”

She immediately yanked her arm away and tried to sit up. She failed, groaning as she slumped against the pillows. Headache, fatigue, and fever. The signature symptoms of this current virus.

“I’m going to kill Saikhan. He had no right to-“

“Yes yes, you can kill Assistant Chief Saikhan for caring about you later. For now, let me help.”

She glared again but jerked her head as if to say “ _let’s get this over with”_.

* * *

3 weeks later the worst of the pandemic seemed to be over. The hospital was still treating patients but the numbers had become manageable. Sora walked into her office one morning to find a beautiful bouquet of light pink peonies sitting on her desk. She looked around to see who had brought them and then noticed a small card.

The envelope was labelled with the name of a local florist and her own named written in a fancy, flowing script. Inside was a simple note but it made Sora smile none the less.

“Thank you. – LB”

For all her stubbornness and steely attitude Lin Beifong was actually a big softy at heart. Sora often met the police chief at her most vulnerable times and the two of them had developed a mutual respect for each other. She sniffed the sweet flowers carefully and smiled to herself again. Even though she knew Lin was thankful for her help over the years, it was nice to have some physical proof of that appreciation from time to time.


	11. Protector - 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin saves Tenzin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short little chapter. Only one more chapter to go! I do have 2 "bonus" chapters coming as well and then I'll start on the companion pieces for this fic. This chapter in particular I am looking forward to writing. Thank you for all the comments and kudos so far!

Katara had left her patients in Sora’s hands for the evening. She was honored that her mentor would trust her with such a task and kept checking in on the patient she knew Katara was most worried about. It had been 6 days since they had almost lost Toph Beifong.

She had retired as Police Chief a few years prior and it seemed that some of her old enemies took this to mean she was vulnerable to attacks. Thus far, Sora had seen more of the earthbender’s would be attackers in need of healing than the woman herself. But nearly a week ago the Terra Triads had organized an ambush attack.

They had a bloodbender and whatever they had done had left the former police chief with numerous burst blood vessels and a cracked skull. It was a testament to Katara’s healing ability that she hadn’t died. Now, it seemed that she was luckily mostly out of the woods. With regular healing sessions she was expected to regain consciousness for the first time at any moment now.

3 days ago the Avatar and his family had gotten a note saying their youngest son and Lin Beifong had been taken. They demanded Toph Beifong be handed over or else their children would pay the price. Practically the entire city had been looking for the pair but had not had any luck as of yet.

Sora went to Toph’s room to check her over. She looked peaceful as she slept. The healer carefully pulled the blankets up a bit further and made note to adjust the temperature of the room to be a few degrees warmer.

A loud commotion yanked her attention from her patient and she ran for the door, locking it behind her, just in case. Rounding the corner she was shocked to see a battered looking Lin Beifong practically dragging Tenzin across the lobby.

“Please! You have to help him!”

A couple of the other healers were already helping, getting Tenzin onto a bed and wheeling him away. Sora rushed to Lin.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fi-“

The words died on her lips as Lin’s legs buckled. Sora acted instinctively, catching her before she hit the ground. Her own legs nearly buckled from the weight of the metal armor that still encased Lin’s torso. Many of the other pieces were missing but the chest plate was still firmly in place.

“We need another bed over here!”

* * *

“You can put her in here for now.”

Sora directed the other healer to wheel a sleeping Lin into the same room her mother was in. She figured it would be easier to keep them safe if they were in the same spot. Avatar Aang and Katara were with their son and Sora decided to watch over the Beifongs.

She checked Lin’s pulse and went to sit in a chair by the window when a voice made her nearly jump out of her skin.

“Is she okay?”

Sora turned to see Toph’s unseeing eyes staring at her. The healer walked to her side and took the earthbender’s hand, feeling for her steady pulse and smiling. Everyone would be so relieved that she had finally regained consciousness.

“She’ll be okay. A couple fractured ribs but I think she’s more exhausted than anything. Sounds like she saved both Tenzin and herself.”

Toph smiled as her eyes started to droop again.

“That’s my girl.”


	12. The Aftermath Part II - 54

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the dust settles after Kuvira's defeat Sora comes across a familiar face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was another fav to write! Kya finally makes an appearance in this one ;)

Sora moved slowly among the ruins of what once an apartment building. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and she took a moment to just _breathe._ The stars were coming out now and she looked to the sky as her fried brain attempted to catch up with itself. Kuvira and her army had been stopped but the damage had still been done. Much of her city was in complete ruin and so many people were injured and in need of medical attention.

She had sent many of her staff away but once she announced she was staying behind to help a lot of them refused to leave. They had mobilized a couple different groups and went out into the city once Kuvira’s spirit vine energy weapon was out of commission. Her day had gone by in a blur of injury, pain, and death.

She wandered amongst the rubble and noticed a figure sitting on a large piece of the former building. She recognized her immediately and felt a wave of comfort come over her as she sat down next to the woman.

“You should have evacuated with the others.”

“My healers and I were needed here. It’s our job. You should understand that better than anyone.”

The eartbender let out a small breath before turning to her. She was covered in dirt and debris, her eyes more tired and weary than the healer had ever seen.

“Think you could help one more person tonight? Suspected fractures in both arms, I think one may actually be broken.”

“Of course, where are they?”

She looked around but there were very few people still in the area and none of them seemed in need of medical attention. Looking back to Lin she noticed her move one of her arms, immediately wincing and letting a hiss of obvious pain.

“Right here. It’s me.”

Sora narrowed her eyes with a knowing look.

“What happened?”

Lin closed her eyes and tilted her head to the sky.

“That arm over there.”

She gestured to one of the robotic arms that had been detached from the rest of Kuvira’s weapon of mass destruction with a slight nod of her head.

“My sister and I were inside it when it was forcibly detached from the rest of that monstrosity. Luckily I was still able to bend the metal on the inside to keep us from getting knocked around too much. But, I needed my arms free to do it and I think they got a little messed up on impact.”

“You _think?_ ”

“Don’t remember much. Didn’t even feel much pain until the adrenaline started to wear off. I think my bracers have been helping too.”

Sora let out a contrived snort before kneeling in front of Lin and holding her hands out.

“May I?”

She watched as Lin presented her arms to her and, with noticeable difficulty, bent the metal bracers off her arms. Sora gasped quietly at the sight beneath them. Both arms were a mottled mess of purple bruising, the bone in the left in an obvious unnatural position.

“Well, this is obviously broken. Try to hold still while try an alleviate some of the pain.”

Lin sucked in a breath and scrunched her face as she brought her healing water over the less injured arm, satisfied to see some of the bruising fade. She did the same to the left arm but would need to set the bone before doing any further healing. She turned her attention instead to Lin’s head, the earthbender trying to pull away as she held her firmly.

“What are you doing?”

“Just hold still. You said you lost consciousness, I want to make sure you’re not bleeding to death in your thick skull.”

Lin listened and held still for once and Sora closed her eyes, concentrating on checking her head over for any sign of trauma. There was a small contusion that she healed easily but nothing more serious. Lin let out a small sigh of relief.

“Better”

“Much, my head has been killing me.”

“Now the arm. I’ve got to set it and it’s going to hurt.”

Sora looked around on the ground, finding a suitable stick and handing it to Lin.

“Take this and bite do-“

“I know the drill.”

She held her injured arm out for Sora, placing the stick in her mouth between her back molars. She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and nodding. Sora worked quickly, twisting the bone by her wrist and aligning them the best she could. Lin didn’t move but tears leaked from her closed eyes and her breathing got harder. Holding the arm firmly in one hand, she ran the healing water over the spot. After a couple minutes Lin’s face softened and she spit the stick out of her mouth.

“You’ll need to follow up for the next few days to expedite the healing but I don’t think there will be any lasting damage. A lot of the hospital was destroyed but I’ll still be taking patients in the main lobby.”

“I’ll be fine, really.”

“Lin-“

“Thank you, Sora.”

She thought about arguing further but was honestly just too exhausted. The day had been long and exhausting but she had the feeling the coming days were going to be even longer. She needed to rest if she was going to be any help to anyone. She’d let the Chief think she’d won this round for now. She stood, brushing off some of the loose dirt from her skirt.

“Chief! Chief! One of the restaurants actually survived and they’re giving away FREE food to everyone!”

An excitable young man came running up to them and Lin looked at him wearily. Sora noticed the twitch of a smile as she listened to him ramble on. She stood to follow him but first placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling and giving her a small nod. The young man looked between them curiously.

“Lead the way to this free food, Bolin.”

Lin followed him, pausing when Sora didn’t follow.

“You go ahead, my brain can’t even comprehend hunger until it gets a little sleep.”

“Suit yourself.”

* * *

3 days after the attack on Republic City Master Healer Sora Yueng found herself knocking on a familiar door. Part of the apartment building had been damaged but it appeared to be minor, with repairs already underway. The door wasn’t even open before she heard the owner of said apartment start talking.

“I don’t recall ordering a house call from you?”

Sora smiled broadly as the door opened.

“Just checking in on a historically stubborn patient. How’s the arm?”

“Better.”

She raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes skeptically. She had definitely heard that before. She held her hand out.

“May I?”

Lin rolled her eyes but presented the formerly injured arm with no argument. Sora ran her healing water over it and was surprised to see that it actually was healed. Which was impossible. She had managed to heal some of the damage but it would have taken a few more sessions to heal it this completely. Her brow furrowed as she looked to her patient.

“Lin? Who is it?”

Sora couldn’t hide her surprise at the new voice. She hadn’t seen the waterbender in many years but would recognize the daughter of her own mentor any day of the week. Kya came into view at the door and her face broke into a huge smile as she opened the door fully and flung her arms around Sora’s neck.

“Master Sora! I haven’t seen you in _ages_!”

“It’s good to see you too, Kya.”

“Kya, you’re going to smother her.”

Kya pulled away and stuck her tongue at Lin who, in turn, just shook her head and laughed. There was a look on the Police Chief’s face that Sora recognized but hadn’t seen from her in many years. She carefully looked between the two women and smiled slightly as a possible realization came to her.

“I take it you’re the one taking care of the Chief, here?”

Kya rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated breath.

“You have no idea how hard it has been. I swear, Lin could be missing a limb and she’d still insist she’s-“

“- _just fine._ ”

Sora finished the sentence at the same time as Kya and they both laughed. Lin narrowed her eyes and Sora quickly tried to put on a more serious face. She looked from Lin back to Kya.

“I do have to admit that she is a less than ideal patient.”

“Oh! That is the understatement of a lifetime! You know, Sora, why don’t you come in and have something to drink. Lin just put on a pot for tea. We can exchange Lin Beifong horror stories.”

Sora looked cautiously to Lin seeking approval. After a moment of being stared down Lin rolled her eyes and nodded her head, motioning for Sora to enter the apartment. Kya was completely delighted as she took her arm, pulling her to the kitchen.

“You know, it started young. Barely 5 years old and I remember her breaking her ankle. My mother tried to heal her for 3 days but Lin insisted there was nothing wrong as she limped around everywhere she went.”

“That’s nothing! I actually had to sedate her against her will once because she was going to pull a piece of metal out of her abdomen after I specifically said not to touch it!”

“Oh! I have to hear that one! Where are you going, Lin?”

Lin had moved pass them and was rummaging through a cupboard across the room.

“I’m going to need something much stronger than tea to get through whatever you two are about to put me through.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of my originally planned chapters! I actually wrote this one first. Per usual, I couldn't resist a little Kyalin ;) In this timeline I imagine them getting together sometime in the 3 year time jump which is why I don't have any Sora interactions for that point in Lin's life. I do have two bonus chapters to share that take place after this one so keep an eye out for those either later today or tomorrow!


	13. BONUS: Training - 57

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little training mishap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a comment from Cookiemathew!

“Master Sora, thank you for coming.”

“It’s my pleasure, Chief Beifong.”

Sora entered the Police Chief’s office grinning as she glared at the officers that were staring after her curiously. They quickly averted they eyes and Lin closed the door behind them, flicking the lock with a wave of her hand.

“Shit, ow…”

Sora raised an eyebrow.

“Care to tell me what you’ve done to yourself this time?”

Lin didn’t respond but simply removed the armor covering her torso, wincing and cursing as she did so. Sora noticed that her right arm seemed to be hanging somewhat limply and the pain came any time it moved. Once the armor was gone, Sora could clearly see that the shoulder was resting in an awkward and unnatural position.

“Dislocated it this morning and I can’t get it back in.”

“And Kya wasn’t able to help?”

“She’s visiting the Fire Nation.”

Sora nodded, placing her back down and rolling her neck and shoulders in preparation.

“It’ll hurt, as you well know, but once I get it back in you’ll feel m-“

“-uch better. I know the drill. Just get it over with.”

Sora looked around the room and found a spot near a wall she could utilize. She moved a small table and chair and beckoned for Lin to lay down.

“Lay here with your body pushed against the wall so I can get enough leverage to pop it back into place.”

Lin did as she was told, hissing in pain as she maneuvered into position. Sora pulled a wad of fabric from her bag and handed it to Lin who just stuck it in her mouth without a word. The healer took a quick look at the angle the shoulder was in before carefully taking the arm. She balanced on one leg while the other braced against the wall.

“Ready?”

Lin nodded, closing her eyes. Sora quickly and forcing pulled the arm out and forward, a sickening pop indicating the joint was realigned. Lin jerked up, shouting some profanity that was thankfully muffled by the gag. She sagged back down to ground, spitting the gag from her mouth and taking a steadying breath.

“I’ve been a healer for almost 50 years now and that sound still makes me shudder.”

“Imagine having to feel it too.”

They both laughed and Sora helped Lin into a sitting position. She used her bending to bring her healing water up and over the shoulder, easily repairing small tears and relaxing the muscles.

“So, are you actually going to tell me how this happened?”

“I’d rather not.”

“You know you’re not as young as you used to be.”

“If I’m old, what does that make you?”

“I don’t throw myself into dangerous situations every chance I get.”

“Hm.”

The water’s glow dimmed and it returned to her skein. Sora raised her eyes expectantly, waiting for details on this latest injury. Lin rolled her eyes, shaking her head and getting to her feet.

“If you must know, I was training the Avatar when it happened.”

Sora’s curiosity was piqued now as she also got to her feet. She watched as Lin bent her armor back into place, her back to Sora.

“Did the Avatar actually manage to get the upper hand on the great Lin Beifong?”

Lin spun on her heel, her eyes narrowing as Sora grinned at her.

“She didn’t hit me on purpose. I was distracted and missed-“

“She did! The Avatar actually beat you in a sparring match! Reaction times not as quick as they once were, _Chief?”_

“If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I swear…”

“Oh Lin, I learned long ago when your threats were empty.”

Lin glared but her lips twitched into the slightest of smiles. She walked across the room and opened the door.

“Good luck with those enemas, Healer Sora, I know how exhausting they can be for someone of your age.”

She spoke loudly enough that several heads had shot in their direction. Sora stared at the woman in surprise before shaking her head and grinning broadly. She clapped a hand on Lin’s freshly healed (but still tender) shoulder before walking past her.

“Oh, it’s no issue for me, Chief Beifong. Be sure to tell Avatar Korra to take it easier on you next time you’re training.”

Lin looked ready to explode and several curious eyes had widened before looking anywhere but at their chief. Without giving Lin a chance to respond Sora practically ran out of the police station, laughing loudly as soon as she cleared the front doors.


	14. BONUS Chapter: Retirement - 60

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora's retiring but not before seeing her favorite patient one more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is the last chapter for this little fic! Thank you for your support and I'll be starting the next part of this series soon!

Sora wiped her eyes as she sat down at her desk. This was the fourth time she had cried today and she cursed herself to get it together. It wasn’t a bad day but it was definitely bittersweet.

Today was her last day at the hospital.

After 52 years of caring for Republic City’s sick and wounded Sora Yueng was retiring at the spry age of 72. Her day had been mostly quiet, a few patients coming to give her gifts and well wishes and practically any healer she had ever trained had showered her with more flowers and sweets than she had ever seen.

She hadn’t thought much about what she would do once retired but she was looking forward to it. There were parts of the world she had never seen that she would have time to travel to now. She closed her eyes, smiling to herself when there was a soft knock on her office door. She opened her eyes to see a familiar waterbender quickly peak her head in before retreating quickly.

“I told you she’d still be here!”

“Kya, will you lower your voice. This is a hospital, you’re disturbing the peace.”

“What are you going to do, Chief? _Arrest Me?_ ”

Sora chuckled as she heard a small “ow” come from the waterbender, her office door opening to reveal Kya scowling and rubbing her arm. Lin had her arms crossed as she entered, glaring at her girlfriend. Sora stood up and walked to the pair, hugging each of them tightly.

“Heard you were retiring.”

“Something you might consider, yourself, _Chief.”_

“Oh! I’ve tried telling her that a hundred times! Every time I bring it up I get “ _Just one more year_ ”. That started 3 years ago.”

“Kya, will you stop babbling. I’ll retire when the time is right. After Kuvira-“

“Kuvira was SIX years ago, Lin.”

“I haven’t found the right person to replace me yet.”

Kya rolled her eyes dramatically and Sora found her eyes tearing up yet again as she watched the couple bicker. She really needed to get her emotions under control if she was going to make through the rest of her day. Lin was about to retort to Kya’s latest jab when the earthbender closed her eyes and swayed slightly, grabbing onto Kya for support. Kya carefully directed her to sit in the chair that sat in front of Sora’s desk and the healer looked between the pair in concern.

“Oh yeah, we forgot to mention that Lin here hit her head pretty good.”

“Why didn’t you heal her?”

“I was going to, but the Chief insisted that you were the only one she trusted to heal her head. Complete nonsen-“

“I thought…”

Lin raised her voice slightly, cutting off Kya and giving her a look before turning to Sora with a smile.

“I might have you help me out, one more time. You know, _for old time’s sake.”_

Sora laughed quietly as realization hit her. The first time she had met Lin Beifong she had healed a small wound on her head. She didn’t bother stopping the tears as she nodded, taking position in front of Lin.

“There’s no need to get all emotional about it. I just…”

Lin’s voice trailed off as she quickly averted her gaze. Sora took in a breath and summoned her element, the familiarity comforting. There was a small bump on the back of Lin’s head but, much like the first time she met the eartbender, it was nothing serious. It took less than a minute to heal, Sora taking Lin’s hand once she was finished.

“I’m definitely going to miss you, Lin Beifong.”

Lin sniffed loudly, standing up quickly and nearly knocking Sora over.

“Well, thank you. We should probably-“

“Lin, will you just calm down for a second.”

Kya hooked her arm through Lin’s, holding her in place and gently rubbing circles on her arm.

“We were hoping you’d join us for dinner.”

Sora was surprised by the invitation, a grumble in her stomach practically begging that she accept. She wiped her eyes again and smiled broadly at the pair before nodding. She grabbed her coat and followed them out her office door.

“So, how’d Lin hit her head so hard?”

“It’s a funny story, really. Lin had her legs wrapped around my waist but she distracted me with her tongue and I lost my grip-“

“KYA!”

Lin’s face was bright red as she clamped a hand over her girlfriend’s mouth. She wouldn’t make eye contact with Sora as she dragged the waterbender outside as quickly as she could.

* * *

The three women approached a restaurant that happened to be one of Sora’s favorites. Brushing it off as just a coincidence that Kya and Lin had chosen this place for their dinner out, Sora didn’t have any suspicions as they pushed the doors opened.

“SURPISE!”

Sora jumped as a small crowd of people greeted her. She looked around and saw familiar faces everywhere she looked. Aiko and Yosuke smiled at her, both master healers themselves now along with half a dozen of her other former students. A few Republic City police officers, a couple she recognized as people she had personally treated after some pretty grisly injuries. There was another that she couldn’t quite place. Lin seemed to follow her train of thought, leaning in close to her.

“That’s the idiot that impaled me all those years ago.”

Sora laughed as she looked to Lin. The earthbender was smiling warmly, gesturing for Sora to greet her well wishers. There were other patients that she hadn’t seen in years and a few young people she didn’t know.

“You helped my mom deliver me! She passed a couple years ago but she always talked about you and I know she would have loved to be here.”

“You saved my dad. I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t.”

“You helped me after I lost my sister.”

Sora gave her full attention to each of them, pulling them in for a hug as they told her their stories. As she made her way deeper into the restaurant she noticed a group of very familiar faces sitting at a table in the corner.

Tenzin and his family was there, as was Suyin Beifong and her husband. And sitting in the middle, her hair even more white and face more wrinkled than the last time she her, was Katara. Sora’s face broke into a smile and she started crying again as she walked to her mentor and knelt in front of her.

“I didn’t know you were in the city?”

“My grandson is to receive his tattoos this week and I decided to make a final trip to the city.”

At the look on Sora’s face Katara chuckled, taking her hands.

“Don’t worry yourself, I’m doing just fine. But, I think I’ve seen enough of Republic City for this lifetime. Now that you’ve retired you could come visit me in the South, you know.”

Sora nodded, gripping her hands tightly. At 95 the master healer made Sora herself feel almost like a kid again. She stood and looked around the room again. People were laughing and telling stories, the air warm and full of the smell of delicious food.

She had never married or had children of her own but as Sora looked around the room she knew she still had a group of people who loved and cared for her. An array of ages and professions, benders of all elements, and from all corners of the world.

A family of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not be writing the backstory for this one so if anyone else would like to write a fun Kyalin fic where Kya drops Lin on her head please be my guest. The backstory fics will take a little time and I've decided to post them as separate, individual stories because some of them may have more than one chapter. There's also varying relationships for them so I want people to be able to find the fics they'd prefer to read easy enough. Thanks for reading!


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